A Child of Friendship
by balzen2011
Summary: It's been twenty years since the Chicago Experiment was disbanded, people have moved on with their lives, some still believe in genetic damage and it is causing problems in the city. And caught in the cross-fire is the sixteen year old daughter of Christina and Four. What will she choose when faced with a choice?
1. Prologue

Prologue

I stood as the train came to a stop and shifted my school bag so it sat more comfortably at the base of my spine. The people around me cast curious glances in my direction, which I am used to seeing as I resemble the hero of the city, the revolution against Genetic Inequality, Tris Prior. I am only fifteen, but I carry herself in a way that makes me seem much older. My grey eyes are often serious and my lips are pressed together in a thin line. I don't really care that people stare as I get off the train and began the long walk home. I arrive a little after four and stand on the cracked and broken sidewalk staring at the dwelling my family calls home. My thoughts lingering on the same thought they always do when I stand in this spot. Why was I born? Do my parents really love each other? Or am I merely the product of two friends comforting each other in a time of grief? I know they love me, but it bothers me how much I don't look like my mother, and that I resemble my mother's best friend, who died five years before I was born. My name is Tris Johnson and this is the story of my choice


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

I sat at the kitchen table, pen scratching on paper as I worked on my homework. Dad sat in the living room reading the paper his dark blue eyes appeared black in the light, A sign not to bother him. I could hear the patter of Gunner's paws as he followed mother around the kitchen hoping for scraps. "How is school going?" Mother's question doesn't register with me at first, I was too distracted by my history assignment. Mother flicks my ear startling me from my thought. "Sorry, what?"

"How is school going?" I bite the inside of my cheek, should I ask her? Ask her about the Factions? "Don't try lying," Mother warned in a sing-song voice. Her curly hair bounced as she shook her head.

"Do you miss the Faction System?" I blurt out, the question sounds breathless. The light wavers in my mother's eyes and my father lifts his eyes from the paper. "I think it is time Christina," I am surprised by the edge of pain in father's voice. "You were sixteen when you learned the truth." Mother looked like she was going to argue, but set her jaw as she reconsidered and sat down across from me.

I lay in my bed an hour later my mind whirling with the information I'd learned and how it fit into what I knew. Twenty years ago there were five Factions: Candor, Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, and Amity. Each valued a different moral, Dauntless valued courage, Candor valued truth, Abnegation valued selflessness, Erudite valued knowledge and Amity valued peace. They lived together without issue for over two hundred years then it all fell apart when the Erudite mind-controlled the Dauntless using them to wipe out two-thirds of Abnegation, supposedly because the Abnegation leaders were corrupt. That was the end of what I already knew, what I hadn't known was that the Factions were a sham! A behavioral experiment by the United States Government trying to fix the Genetically Damaged. That my parents fought to save their friends and family still trapped in Chicago, that my mother's best friend and my father's first girlfriend died for the cause, now genetic damage is a thing of the past. Everyone in Chicago are equal and just... people. But what of the murmuring I hear on the bus, on the streets? I hear people mumbling for a return to the Faction System, but without closing off the city like before. If I had to choose a Faction which road would I choose? I definitely couldn't be Amity, I fight too much. I couldn't be Abnegation, not after hearing the stories of my father's childhood. Candor maybe? I roll onto my side and let out a long breath. If I'm completely honest with myself, I would choose Erudite. I chuckle to myself, '_Father would kill me_,' but I had always liked to learn, the subject didn't matter to me, at least it didn't before this evening. "Tomorrow I am going to start digging into the Factions," I whispered as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter Two

I eat my breakfast without tasting it the next morning. "What are your plans for today?" Dad's question surprises me, he doesn't normally take an interest in my day-to-day plans. I swallow before answering. "Nothing really, just going to hang out with Abi," I get up and put my dishes in the sink. I can feel sweat collecting in my palms and wipe them on my jeans. Dad makes a strange noise in his throat, I turn and the look of grief in his eyes confuses me. "What?" He shakes his head and gives a watery smile. " Nothing, I just know someone who used to do the same thing. " He shakes his head as if clearing cobwebs from his mind. "Have fun with Abi and don't do anything stupid,"

"Isn't that all you did at my age?" I raise an eyebrow in jest.

Dad shakes his head, "The world was different when I was your age." I've never heard his voice sound so heavy before and it worries me. He places his hand on my shoulder and kisses my forehead as I pass.

"What is so important that you are dragging me to the Library on a Saturday?" Abi groans as we walk toward the train station. I roll my eyes at her. She is my best friend, my only friend really, but sometimes her complacency annoys me.

"I want to look into the Faction War some more," I mumble.

"Okay, that explains the Library, but why did you drag me along?" I stop walking and bite the inside of my cheek. "What is up with you Tris? You've been acting weird since you called me last night." I grab Abi's hand and pull her into a side alley and tell her everything and by the time I finish Abi is staring at me with her mouth hanging open. The silence lengthens, making me feel uncomfortable, I wipe my hands on my jeans.

"Okay let's go," Abi says and exits the alley. Abi may be happy doing as she is told, never questioning the truth, but I can always count on her to have my back.

The city library is a large building with more windows than solid walls and a plaque near the entrance reads "FORMER ERUDITE HEADQUARTERS" It always made sense that the history of Chicago would be kept in the former center of knowledge. I step inside with Abi and the smell of dust-covered pages washes over me and the wooden floor creaks beneath my feet and an inexplicable sense of fear washes over me and a tingle travels down my spine. Abi stops and glances back at me with a raised eyebrow, I shake the feeling of foreboding and catch up with her. I approach the desk where a man who seems to be the same age as my mother sits, green eyes fixed on the screen in front of him. "Excuse me?" He holds up a finger seeming to finish a sentence then looks up. His eyes find mine and he jerks back as if I'd slapped him.

"Beatrice?" His voice is weak and the color, what little there had been, drained from his face.

"My name is Tris Johnson." My voice comes across as defensive, but I was a little unnerved by his reaction. It was like he'd seen a ghost.

The man shakes his head and gives a weak smile, "I'm sorry miss. It's just," he paused for a moment , his eyes looking at every inch of me. "It's just that you look exactly like my sister Beatrice."

"Wait! You're Caleb Prior!" Abi says excitedly. I glance at her thinking she's nuts, but the man nodded slowly.


	4. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

I walk out of the Library in a daze. Abi and I just spent nearly two hours talking and listening to Caleb Prior as he told us stories about Beatrice Prior. How she always struggled to fit into Abnegation, the Faction of her birth. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much but it does. '_Maybe it is because I understand feeling out of place among your loved ones. The one place you are supposed to feel comfortable,_'

"Hello, you still in there?" Abi snaps her fingers in front of my face. I shake my head and grin at her. "Sorry, what?"

Abi rolls her eyes "I asked what you thought of Caleb. I personally feel sorry for him. I mean he lost his whole family in the War."

I nod in agreement, but I don't feel the same way. I know more about Caleb Prior than what he told Abi. I know that he helped Jeanine Matthews torture Beatrice, he betrayed his family time and again. He also let Beatrice go to her death at the Bureau when it was supposed to be him. It made me uneasy to meet him in the flesh. He seemed so nice. I picture his face as he told us about his sister, how his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. How they seemed to shine with regret. '_Could Dad be wrong about Caleb?'_ It seemed that both Mother and Dad thought Caleb never regretted his choices. But what I saw contradicts everything they told me.

The next day I go back again, without Abi. She seemed almost enamoured with Caleb and I didn't have any interest in talking to him for two hours again. I step into the Library and slip past the front desk without Caleb noticing me. I head to the shelves where Faction History is kept and notice at the back is a section that is blocked off by a gate. Curious, I walk over and am surprised to see more books. I try the gate and it's unlocked. I look around and seeing no one, I ease the gate open and slip through. I scan the shelves and realize it is more on the Factions and the War. "Students under the age of sixteen aren't allowed back here," a voice says smoothly. I spin round to find a tall man with dark blue eyes staring at me. '_No he's watching me,_' I correct myself.

"I am sixteen," I square my shoulders and stand straighter. Something about this man seems dangerous, but also familiar. I look closer at him and a stone seems to drop in my stomach. "You're Marcus Eaton!" The man chuckles, but it isn't a pleasant sound. "Now how would someone as young as you know that name?" I take a step back, away from him. He steps forward , "Unless your father told you." I clench my fists ready to defend myself. Even more on edge because my father has never mentioned this man's name to me. "Now Tris I mean no harm," he holds up his hands palms out. I recoil as he says my name. When he says it it sounds wrong. Like he knows me, even though I had never met him before. "If you mean me no harm then let me leave," I say. The strength in my voice surprises me. "Of course," Marcus steps aside leaving a clear path to the gate. I start forward and as I pass Marcus he whispers, "I thought you would like to know the reason why you are the spitting image of Beatrice Prior. Even though there is no blood relation." My steps falter as the meaning of his statement registers. I spin round to face him. "I would never come to you for answers," I spit the words at him. Something in my gut tells me not to trust him.

"Why don't you ask your father then," Marcus growls. I turn and walk away, but Marcus grabs my arm and whispers in my ear. "When you are ready to hear the truth Caleb will know where to find me." He releases me and I fight the urge to run away from him. '_Don't let him know how shaken you are,' _

I take several deep breaths once I get outside and rub my arms vigorously trying to get the feeling of his hands on my skin to go away. I turn and head home, but Marcus' words continue to ring in my ears. '_When you are ready to hear the truth, Caleb will know where to find me._' I shake my head and continue walking how could Marcus know anything about me when I never met or seen him before today?


	5. Chapter Four

The only sounds at dinner that night are the gentle clink of silverware against plates and the gentle thump of Gunner's tail on the kitchen floor. My encounter with Marcus, I can't bring myself to call him grandfather, keeps playing in my mind. I bounce my leg nervously under the table as I try to figure out the best way to approach a subject that I know will cause tension. "Why-" I begin but my voice comes out strangled so the word sounds more like a squeak. I clear my throat and begin again. "Why don't I look like either one of you?" The silence that falls is so thick you can cut it with a butter knife. My mother puts her fork down and stares at her plate.

"You were adopted," father says without looking up. "A woman came to me, she was sick. She lived her whole life on the Fringe and moved here long after the city opened as a safe haven. She asked your mother and I to take you in and we agreed."

The words weren't said unkindly, but they seemed rehearsed and the fact it was my father telling the story instead of my mother made me feel uneasy and doubt his story. I cast a quick glance at my mother and saw the muscle in her jaw was twitching, the way it did when I lied. This confirmed my gut was right, my father wasn't telling the truth. '_If Dad isn't going to be honest then I'll go see Marcus after school tomorrow_' I decided as I nodded and said okay before going back to my dinner. I could feel my mother's eyes on me, but I hid my real feelings while scooping up mashed potatoes.

I woke early the next morning and got dressed, careful to avoid the creaky spots in the floor. I carried my shoes instead of putting them on and slipped out The front door. The air outside smelled crisp and the sky was watery gray with dawn. It was late fall mornings like this that I loved most.

The day seemed to drag on endlessly and I was on edge after lunch, my mind wandering further and further from the math test in front of me. What would math grades matter after I spoke to Marcus? The bell rang and I was standing and out the door before everyone else even picked up their bags. I pushed my way through the throng of students eager to get outside. "Hey! Tris wait up!" I hear Abi's voice calling after me but I don't stop. The urge to learn the truth drives me forward, propels me out the door and down the street. I'm three blocks from school when a hand grips my arm pulling me to a stop. I spin, it's Abi. "What?" I snap irritated. She's breathing hard, trying to catch her breath. '_Surely I wasn't running that fast_?' I thought in surprise. Abi was fit and athletic, ran track races against the boys for fun. I'd never run her to gasping before.

"Where the hell are you going? And why are you so eager to get there?" She finally pants. I scan the crowd around us, biting the inside of my cheek. Abi has been my best friend forever, but can I trust her? ' _Of course I can_!' I tell myself angrily then grab her hand and pull her down a deserted alley. I tell her about my encounter with Marcus, about the conversation I had with my father the night before and how his explanation was that I was adopted. I finish and wait for her to speak, to agree with me, but she doesn't. She just looks at me with pity in her eyes. "What?" I demand.

Abi sighs and shakes her head. "I think you're angry that your parents never told you that you were adopted and now you want to side with Marcus Eaton to hurt your father." Her eyes were soft and gentle, not accusing. Anger flares up in my stomach and I fight the urge to smack her. She didn't know what she was talking about. '_She doesn't understand how I feel!_' I turned on my heel and make my way to the Library. I hear Abi's footsteps behind me. I spin, "Why are you following me?' I snap. "I don't want you coming with me!" I feel my cheeks burn and my eyes blur with tears but I blink them away.

"I'm coming with you in case you do something stupid. Which you tend to do when you're angry or upset," Abi's eyes met mine and I could tell it wasn't worth arguing with her. "Fine," I grumble although deep in the pit of my stomach I am glad she chose to stand by my side.

"I was glad when Caleb informed me that you wished to meet," Marcus offers me a cup of tea, which I decline. His eyes shift toward Abi, "I had hoped you would come alone though."

Abi crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Why does it matter if I'm here?" She asks calmly.

"Abi is my best friend and I asked her to come," I say before Marcus can respond. '_More like she refused to let me come alone,_' I added mentally.

"Friends can be a good thing," Marcus said with a nod.

"Listen Mr. Eaton," Abi began.

" Marcus will do fine, "

"Will you please just tell Tris that she really was adopted? That her parents wouldn't make that up." Abi finished as if Marcus hadn't spoken at all.

Marcus heaved a sigh, suddenly looking old and worn out. "I would love to tell her that Abi, but it isn't true." My stomach does a flip and I cast a smug glance at Abi whose face now seems made of stone. "Of course it's true! What other explanation is there?" Abi scoffs.

"She's a clone of Beatrice Prior," Marcus says simply. His eyes fixed on me now instead of Abi.

'_I'm a clone_?' My body has gone numb, my mind refuses to work beyond the word 'clone' I hear Abi yelling abuse at Marcus but the words don't register. How can I be a clone? Who am I really? Am I Tris Johnson, daughter of Christina and Tobias Johnson or am I Beatrice Prior, Heroine of Chicago?


End file.
